Time for a City Council that represents the people
To the community,
The El Dorado County Grand Jury, in its Final 2010 Report states, “The (South Lake Tahoe) City Council, in its reports, procedures and by evidence received by the Grand Jury, points to a severely handicapped organization that needs major changes.”
If ever there was a time when substantive change could happen, this is it. I first moved to Tahoe in 1979. I have always believed in the importance of law and government, even more so in a community like South Lake Tahoe where so few votes elect the five city leaders who have such power over our lives. Over the years, I have become disheartened with the City Council’s blatant disregard of the needs and voices of the hardy, long-suffering locals they were elected to serve.
It seemed the council’s collective deafness had very few negative consequences for them until the latest Grand Jury Report, which has focused a blinding spotlight on how the same select few good-old-boys and girls have been able to continually replace the will of the electorate with their own personal agendas.
It seems the incumbents have all chosen to run for cover, rather than to stay and have a hand in fixing some serious procedural and philosophical problems. As the Grand Jury put it, “The City Council, when facing controversial issues or after threat of litigation, routinely drops issues, even if addressing the issue would improve the function of government or service to the public. … voting often appears to be the result of Council members pursuing personal agendas rather than operating in the best interests of the City.”
I for one am not going to shed even one tear over these former leaders’ hasty departure. The mission statement on the city’s website says, “The City Council exists to represent the public interest….” Maybe now there’s a chance to elect a council that will do just that.
But it still requires the willingness of fearless locals to get off their backsides and step up to the plate. You’ve still got until Aug. 11 at 5pm to file -– whether you’re a former unsuccessful candidate and longtime local, or someone just new to town. This is going to be a wide-open race in a way it hasn’t been in decades. A small group of civic-minded individuals have run for City Council in the past, asking for voters’ support to help create positive change. With the right mix of candidates, the unbreakable voting block of the monied special interests that sent them down to crashing defeat in the past can be overcome this year. Even if you can’t run for office, you can vote in November.
Maybe the City Council has chosen to turn a deaf ear to the Grand Jury’s scathing remarks, but Tahoe locals need to heed them well. The time for complaining is over. Now is the time for action.
Joann Eisenbrandt, South Lake Tahoe and Camino
Very true and well said Joann!
Even as you of the City of South Lake Tahoe and the surrounding area discuss and observe what the Grand Juries function is: to shed light on local Goverment activities. Your BOS, including Norma Sandiago, voted to provide only a abbreviated response to the Grand Jury report and to not pay to have the report published in the news papers in El Dorado County. Jack Sweeney said “We should spend or limited resources fixing problems not commenting on them”. What a cop out, if no one knows what the problems are how will anyone know if they have been fixed.
The Grand Jury is your watchdog of government, I believe this is the first move to eliminate the Grand Jury so goverment can continue to do as it pleases without any accountability.
Remember when the Board of Supervisors said a “Consultant’s Report” (there’s that word again!) showed that the Red Hawk Casino wouldn’t impact Tahoe?! The response from everyone was, “REALLY?!?! Can we see this report?” Of course the answer was, “No. But trust us it really exists!!” And yes, Norma, our rep. went along with the secrecy!
Did our City Council stick up for our town and demand to see this report I gather must also declare the Earth flat? No, in fact Ms. Lovell herself (who’s husband works for and has further aspirations with the County) said it had to stay a secret!
Nepotism, Secrecy, Bush league government!! It’s been the MO in town for many years and it’s all in the Grand Jury Report! (Hopefully at least Norma knows what Bush League means?!) One can only hope that a new Council will change the pattern?!
For identification purposes I am the foreman of the 2009-2010 Civil Grand Jury. I agree with Robert Johnson’s observations and statement. Any County, City or any government entity is only as good as the poeple want it to be. The 2009-2010 Grand Jury reports only touched the “tip of the iceberg” of what is going on in local and county government. The Civil Grand Jury is the only body of citizens that has the power to investigate and report findings without polical repercussions or restictions. The authority is given to the Grand Jury by the Constitution of the State of California. To eliminate the Grand Jury would be to remove the citizens right to have a county “watchdog” of government entities. The Grand Jury used to be prevailent in all States but one by one their Legislatures removed their Civil Grand Juries as “not needed” or “too expensive”.
The 2010-2011 Grand Jury is now in sesssion. To volunteer your services as a Grand Juror for the 2011-2012 sesssion contact the Grand Jury website or contact the Clerk of the Superior Court for an application.
Well, since we don’t have any casinos in South Lake Tahoe, County of El Dorado, California, I suppose putting a casino down in Shingle Springs really shouldn’t have affected us, technically. But since our little town has long been simply a doormat for Stateline, it does. But you know, you can only be used as a doormat if you lie down. Maybe it’s time for SLT to stand up and be something in its own right.
Dogwoman- I believe the point people are trying to make about the casino off the hill is the fact that the people that would have come to South Lake Tahoe to gamble aren’t. This affects our economy because those people are no longer renting rooms, shopping at local stores, etc.
I got that Snoheather. I’m just saying that we need to be something more instead of depending on the state next door for our attractions.
Completely agree.
But shouldn’t have the report at least been made public?? Then we could try to ascertain its logic, if there was one. Or if there even was a report? By it being a secret, just like with so many things with City and County, there’s nothing to discuss! Just government telling us to shut up and trust them!
Face it folks; Upton, Nutting, Sweeney and Nielsen scamed the 94/95 Grand Jury report. Now Uptons idea of machine politics, has returned two screw machines back to power Jack And Ray. That Party like their party of NO in Washington DC, keeps fools voting for scam-rooney’s. The Mountain-Demogue is the FOX of El Dorado County. Bushi Boo Enron,Cheney and Halliburton Too